Talk of the Day -- HTC J Butterfly smartphone to debut in Taiwan

2012/11/21 23:15:25

Smartphone maker HTC Corp. launched a new high-end model -- the HTC J Butterfly -- in Japan Tuesday as part of its efforts to regain its footing in a market increasingly divided by Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., according to local media reports.

The HTC J Butterfly is the twin to the Droid DNA handset the Taiwanese smartphone maker launched in the United States Wednesday in collaboration with U.S. mobile network operator Verizon Wireless.

Media reports said the HTC J Butterfly may hit stores in Taiwan in December to vie for a slice of the local high-end smartphone pie. If so, the reports said, the new HTC device will have a direct face-off against Apple's iPhone 5.

Meanwhile, media reports said local companies in the Apple supply chain for its popular iPhone and iPad devices, including Hon Hai, Foxconn Technology, TPK, Cheng Uei, TPK and Largan, will benefit from the American consumer electronics giant's upcoming Black Friday sales promotion.

In an email sent to customers Tuesday, the company teased a "one-day Apple shopping event" on Friday, Nov. 23.

Apple, always secretive, did not disclose which items would be discounted. The fact that the event teaser features an iPad strongly suggests that the device will be included in the sale, media reports said.

In line with a new consumer electronics market trend that emphasizes beautiful and clever product designs, local PC vendor Acer Inc. is reportedly expanding its research and development (R&D) staff to enhance its industrial design capability.

The number of Acer's R&D staff will be increased to 1,200 next year from current 1,000, media reports said, adding that the company aims to expand its R&D personnel by 70 percent in three years.

The following are excerpts from local media coverage of latest developments in the technology sector, including HTC and Acer growth strategies:

Like its twin the Droid DNA, the HTC J Butterfly features an ultra- sharp display and high-speed 4G LTE Internet access.

The new handset runs on the latest Qualcomm snapdragon quad-core processor, and is waterproof and equipped with an electronic wallet.

Industry sources said the HTC J Butterfly caters to the taste of Japanese consumers. Its previous version has been well received in the Japanese market and also enjoyed brisk sales after being introduced in the Taiwan market.

HTC hopes the HTC J Butterfly can be a hit in both Japan and Taiwan, again. (Nov. 21, 2012).

Economic Daily News:

Market analysts said Apple's Black Friday sales promotion will stimulate demand for its products in the coming holiday shopping season, which will eventually help boost revenues of Taiwanese companies in its supply chain.

Industry sources also said that the iPad series will be main targets of Apple's sales promotion, with discounts exceeding 10 percent.

In another news development, Taiwan reported a 3.2 percent increase in export orders in October, the second straight month that the country posted a positive growth in export orders.

However, officials from the Ministry of Economic Affairs said 51.3 percent of export orders received in October would be produced overseas.

It marked a record high in history, the officials said, adding that such a trend would adversely affected domestic employment rate.

With the function of export orders serving as a leading indicator in measuring the country's economic outlook declining, the officials said the ministry will revise its weight in the leading indicator measurement. (Nov. 21, 2012).